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Monuments and sites »

The Alamillo Reservoir

I century • Directions

It is a roman pond in use from I century on, with in-out aqueducts, now known. It has a rectangular shape, 15.30 x12.30 and 1.35 meter depth structure that harbours a significant volume of water (more than 250000 liters).

Walls are builtt with stone and lime, two of them against the terrain and the other two reinforced with butresses. The inner part is plastered with lime and crushed ceramic mortar (mortero opues signinum) in red.

The inner joints of the structure keep the remains of the semicircular reinforcement shanks in order to provide the building with its water tightness properties, common in this type of buildings, as well as in pools and salting tanks.

Right next to the walls are the remains of the sewage system, as well as the base of a stair for cleaning purposes. The inlet water duct was located in the northwestern angle and the outlet in the southwestern side of the pond, that supplies El Alamillo and, possibly, Villa del Rihuete.

Water comes from a natural spring, currently dry, situated just a few miles away from the pond, in neighbouring Balsicas area. Some sections of the aqueduct remain to this day. It is a pond-like technical construction.

The channel was 0.2 light meters and adapted to the irregularity of the land of the last foothills of Sierra del Algarrobo mountains.